Burnham laments "regrettably inadequate" progress on child poverty

9.00.00am GMT Tue 2nd Dec 2008

Eleanor Burnham, Welsh Liberal Democrat AM for North Wales has urged the Welsh Assembly Government to heed the comments of the Children's Commissioner for Wales, Keith Towler, who believes that progress in putting child poverty policies into practice in Wales has been "regrettably inadequate".

Speaking in the Senedd debate on the Annual Review of the Children's Commissioner for Wales, Ms Burnham, Welsh Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Children and Young People said, "Since the very first Commissioner's report came to the Assembly in 2002, child poverty has been a key issue. Every year since then we have been told that at least one child in four in Wales is living in poverty. That is completely unacceptable.

"Poverty isn't just about income - it's about the marginalisation and exclusion that limited resources impose on a person's life-chances.

"Time and time again our Children's Commissioner has identified where the government is failing Wales' children. Time and time again nothing has been done to fundamentally make a difference to children's lives.

"The Commissioner has spent a great deal of his time meeting and consulting with children. It is vital that we in this Assembly do not lose sight of the fact that the figures, reports and statistics we debate here relate directly to the lives of such children. We must give the Commissioner our full support in his fight to improve the lives of the poorest children in Wales."